No. 7 (19I7) ADMINISTRATION REPORT, I9I7-18 I95 



the moat to be used for the rearing of valuable food fish. The work has 

 been taken in hand by the Public Works Department. 



" Hilsa hatchery. — Owing to the failure of seasonal floods in the 

 Coleroon, the Hilsa fishery was almost a failure. Only four solitary ripe 

 fish (females) were secured. The eggs though few were sufficient to verify 

 the results of the previous year's investigations and to furnish further data 

 of scientific value. 



" Nilgiri fishery. — I visited the Avalanche hatchery and inspected 

 some of the trout streams on the plateau in April 191 7. Trout fingerlings 

 were transferred from the fry ponds to the streams as usual. This fishery 

 and the conservancy of the Bhavani and Moyar have since been entirely 

 managed by the District officers and the question of its future control is 

 pending before Government. 



'■^Acclimatization and introduction of exotic and indigenous species — 

 Gourami. — The two consignments of gourami from Java and Mauritius 

 which are kept in the Powder Factory and Sunkesula farms bred during 

 the year. Some 200 of the resultant fry from both these farms have been 

 transferred to specially prepared ponds at Ippur where they are rapidly 

 growing — fry which were only \" or |" in December have grown to 6" 

 within the last five months. 



" Tench and English carp As stated in last year's report these fish 



have not yet bred though they have grown well during the last four years 

 in Sunkesula. 



" As regards indigenous species, a number of estuarine food fish in 

 addition to Etroplus suratensis are being acclimatized to fresh water at the 

 Ippur and Powder Factory farms.for introduction into inland waters. One 

 of the largest and esteemed local carp Catla catla, which is non-indigenous 

 to waters south of the Kistna, is being introduced into a series of tanks in 

 the south. 



" Stocking of tanks and channel. — As in the previous year the 

 Kurnool-Cuddapah canal and the permanent water tanks in the districts of 

 Kurnool, Cuddapah, Bellary, Salem, Chingleput and North Arcot were 

 stocked with fish from the Sunkesula and Powder Factory farms. 



"As desired by Government in their Memorandum No. 19-A/17-2, 

 Revenue, dated 22nd March 1917, a preliminary survey of all suitable 

 tanks of the Presidency was undertaken and nine districts (Kurnool, 

 Nellore, Cuddapah, Bellary, Anantapur, Chittoor, North Arcot, Chingleput 

 and Tanjore) have been covered. A scheme for dealing with the tanks in 

 three contiguous districts (Nellore, Chingleput and North Arcot) with 

 proposals for additional fish farms at suitable centres is under preparation, 

 'J'he remaining districts will be taken up in due course. 



